CHICAGO — Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya won today the Chicago Marathon with the fastest time on American soil, finishing in 2 hours 5 minutes, 41 seconds.

Sammy Wanjiru set both American and course records but missed the world mark in the 2009 Chicago Marathon. On a chilly fall morning – 33 degrees at the start – the Olympic gold medalist in Beijing pushed the pace impatiently and won the race.

With temperatures hovering just below the freezing mark, Wanjiru turned in the best time in the U.S. and beat by one second the mark of 2:05:42 set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999.

He got US$75,000 for winning and $100,000 for the course record.

In the final agonizing feet before he hit the tape, Wanjiru nearly missed that record and a lucrative payday by waiving his arms in premature celebration. He nearly made a mistake in waiving both arms too quickly, but recovered just in time.

The world record of 2:03:59 is set by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin on Sept. 28, 2008.

Abderrahim Goumri of Morocco made a late push to finish second in 2:06:04, with Kenya’s Vincent Kipruto in third (2:06:08).

On the women’s side, Russian Liliya Shobukhova won a much-slower paced race in 2:25:56.

American Amanda McGrory set the course record by more than 4 minutes in winning the women’s wheelchair race in 1:39:46.
Australian Kurt Fearnley made it a three-peat on the men’s wheelchair race in 1:29:09.

List of Chicago Marathon winners

1977: Dorothy Doolittle, United States
1978: Lynae Larson, United States
1979: Laura Michalek, United States
1980: Sue Peterson, United States
1981: Tina Gandy, United States
1982: Nancy Conz, United States
1983: Rosa Mota, Portugal
1984: Rosa Mota, Portugal
1985: Joan Benoit Samuelson, United States
1986: Ingrid Kristiansen, Norway
1988: Lisa Weidenbach, United States
1989: Lisa Weidenbach, United States
1990: Aurora Cunha, Portugal
1991: Midde Hamrin, Sweden
1992: Linda Somers, United States
1993: Ritva Lemettinen, Finland
1994: Kristy Johnston, United States
1995: Ritva Lemettinen, Finland
1996: Marian Sutton, United Kingdom
1997: Marian Sutton, United Kingdom
1998: Joyce Chepchumba, Kenya
1999: Joyce Chepchumba, Kenya
2000: Catherine Ndereba, Kenya
2001: Catherine Ndereba, Kenya
2002: Paula Radcliffe, United Kingdom
2003: Svetlana Zakharova, Russia
2004: Constantina Diţă-Tomescu, Romania
2005: Deena Kastor, United States
2006: Berhane Adere, Ethiopia
2007: Berhane Adere, Ethiopia
2008: Lidiya Grigoryeva, Russia

• 7:22 a.m. – National Anthem performed by Jersey Boys’ Michael Dais (Frankie Valli)
• 7:25 a.m. – Wheelchair Start
• 7:30 a.m. – Marathon Start
• 7:40 a.m. – Northside/Southside Challenge Boys’ Start (31st Street and Michigan Avenue)
• 7:45 a.m. – Northside/Southside Challenge Girls’ Start (31st Street and Michigan Avenue)
• 8:50 a.m. – Approximate Men’s Wheelchair Champion Finish
• 9:10 a.m. – Approximate Women’s Wheelchair Champion Finish
• 9:35 a.m. – Approximate Men’s Champion Finish
• 9:47 a.m. – Approximate Women’s Champion Finish
• 10:30 a.m. – Approximate Media Availability with Men’s and Women’s Champions

Location: Grant Park, Chicago

• 12:30 p.m. – Champions’ Awards Ceremony

Location: Butler Field, Grant Park (Columbus Drive and Jackson Boulevard)

Chicago Marathon route map

Chicago Marathon route map

His ex-colleague and friend, the band’s lead singer Ronan Keating, is said to be flying to Majorca from Chicago, where he was due to compete in the 2009 Chicago Marathon.

Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately (c) Samir Hussein/PA